VANCOUVER, B.C. (June 4, 2013) â€“ Vancouver Film School (VFS) is thrilled to announce the addition of a brand-new Animation & Visual Effects campus located in the 106,000 square foot city-owned space in Gastown which previously housed the Storyeum theatrical museum.

The short-lived Storyeum offered a live, interactive recreation of British Columbia history in a show that incorporated actors and special effects while inviting audiences to move from one set to the next.

After $4.5 million in renovations, phase one of this new state-of-the-art VFS campus will open to students in August. Every classroom is designed to optimize the learning experience by giving students access to high-powered software, including the leading render farm management system, as well as more studios and lounge areas to foster collaboration and synergy between VFSâ€™s programs. The space's many groundbreaking features include a 280-degree green screen studio and a new fiber network.

â€śWe have reinvented the entire space from the ground up, turning it into a leading facility in the heart of Vancouverâ€™s bustling creative core,â€ť says Marty Hasselbach, Managing Director of VFS. â€śAt VFS, we stress the importance of being industry-led, so we worked with representatives from the local industry to maximize the space and emulate a true studio experience.â€ť

VFS's Animation & Visual Effects programs help students become confident production artists, ready for the industry in visual effects, animation, or 3D modeling. From day one, students are guided by industry pros as they create a reel that demonstrates their talent and skills on their way to launching their careers.

â€śI am beyond excited to move into the new facility,â€ť says Marianne Oâ€™Reilly, Head of Animation & Visual Effects at VFS. â€śOur students go on to achieve great things in film, TV, and games. They're making a real difference on the world stage, and I believe this space truly does their talent and work ethic justice.â€ť

In keeping with Vancouver Film Schoolâ€™s naming convention, the new campus space will adopt the name '151'. The Animation & Visual Effects portion of the facility is 42,000 square feet, double the size of the current campus, and provides students with two 72-seat theatres, editing suites, sound studios, a customized life drawing room, three design studios, and much more.Â

For more information on VFSâ€™s programs and initiatives, please visit
vfs.edu.

Founded in 1987, Vancouver Film School is Canada's premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution and one of the most distinguished in the world. The Animation & Visual Effects department at VFS includes three programs: 3D Animation & Visual Effects (one year), Classical Animation (one year), and Digital Character Animation (six months). If you've seen a blockbuster lately, chances are there were VFS graduates helping bring it to life. Their recent and upcoming credits include The Avengers, Iron Man3, The Dark Knight Rises, Monsters University, Elysium, and countless others, and VFS alumni were behind the scenes of the 17 highest grossing films of all time. VFS has won four consecutive School of the Year Awards (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) at the CG Student Awards, the preeminent awards of their kind.